Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controller for controlling operation of a forming machine, the forming machine including the controller, and a method for controlling the forming machine.
Description of the Background Art
Forming machines such as press machines and press brakes have been conventionally known.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 60-107115 discloses a method for controlling a feeder that automatically feeds work (workpiece) to a press brake. In Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 60-107115, an image pickup device is disposed so as to be able to pick up an image of a state in which the work is fed to the press brake. In addition, the control method of Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 60-107115 computes a difference corresponding to the same pixel of the image pickup device between a binarized signal when picking up an image of a background not including the work and a binarized signal when picking up an image of the background including the work therein, to extract a binarized signal of only the work. Moreover, this control method computes a position of the work based on the binarized signal of only the work, and controls the feeder based on the computed position.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-061958 discloses a press brake including a CCD camera, an image processor, and an abnormality detection unit. Specifically, the CCD camera picks up an image of a prescribed area of visual field in the vicinity of a portion to be bent of a work surface. The image processor determines whether or not there is an image of a hand of an operator within the prescribed area of visual field from the image picked up by the CCD camera. Based on a signal from the image processor, the abnormality detection unit performs control so as to stop the operation of a ram when there is an image of a hand of the operator within the prescribed area of visual field.